The present invention relates to a method for treating inflammatory disease to prevent or delay the progression of the disease process or to alleviate the symptoms thereof. Diseases and disorders which have significant inflammatory components are ubiquitous. Skin disorders, bowel disorders, certain degenerative neurological disorders, arthritis, autoimmune diseases and other illnesses afflict many patients. In certain disorders, infectious agents may be directly or indirectly responsible for the entire disease process. In other disorders, an infectious or other agent may in some way facilitate an autoimmune or inflammatory response. For many patients, dietary or environmental factors may trigger an autoimmune or inflammatory response. In many patients genetic factors can play a key role. In the majority of cases, the causative elements have not been defined and many of the key pathophysiological components have not been elucidated. Accordingly, treatment options for the majority of these diseases is suboptimal.
Currently, steroids, nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory agents (NSAIDs), aspirin compounds and cancer chemotherapeutic immunosuppressive agents are often used. These agents often do not provide adequate symptomatic relief and are not believed to alter the natural progression of the disease. Indeed, some of these agents may make the disease worse. Furthermore, powerful side effects are found with most all of these therapies. Hence, there is a great need for safe and effective therapy for these disorders.
Cetyl myristoleate has been used for treatment of rheumatoid arthritis (Diehl, U.S. Pat. No. 4,113,881) and osteoarthritis (Diehl, U.S. Pat. No. 5,569,676), but there are many patients who do not achieve satisfactory results with this compound.
Tetracycline compounds have been found to weakly decrease collagenase and other enzyme activity and decrease certain kinds of cartilage damage found in canine models. However, human trials have been disappointing thus far. Side effects include dizziness gastrointestinal upset, nausea, and diarrhea.